\ 



o 



I 



ASCENT 

TO THE SUMMIT 

OF 

MONT BLANC, 

16th— 18th of 9th Month (SEPT^^), 1834. 



BY 

MARTIN BARRY, M.D. 



ASCENT, &G. 



<The principal part of the following Karrati'.-e appeared in the " Edinbiirgli S'ew 
Philosophical Journal for January, 1835.") 

As we reached the Gol de Balme, on the I5th5 
in passing from Martigny to the Priory of 
Chamonix, Mont Blanc presented itself for the 
first time. It came suddenly and magnificently 
into view in its whole extent, so that the eye 
knew not where to begin the contemplation of 
the, amazing picture. The Col de Balme may, 
t3n this account, recommended as a point 
from which to obtain the first near view of the 
mountain. Though inferior to Chimbora^o in 
its elevation above the sea, Mont Blanc is to be 
considered as the higher mountain of the two, 
as it rises 12,300 feet above the valley of Cha- 
monix; Chimbora^o not more than 11,600 
above the plain of Quito. There is another im- 
portant feature in Mont Blanc ; its line of per- 
petual snow is nearly 7000 feet below the summit; 
that of Chimbora^o only 2,400, according to 
Humboldt. 

a2 



4 

On my arrival at the Prior^^ in the evening, 
guides were consulted as to the probable prac- 
ticability of an ascent. It was objected, in the 
first place, that the season was too far advanced, 
and secondly, that some snow had recently 
fallen, which had not had time to harden : as a 
consequence of the first obstacle, that the days 
were too short, and that the fissures had probably 
widened ; of the second, that the way would be 
rendered not only more difficult, but more dan- 
gerous also, from the newly fallen snow lightly 
covering, and thus concealing, the smaller 
crevices. Avalanches, too, were likely to occur 
more frequently with a layer of recent snow. 
On the other hand, the weather had never per- 
haps presented a more favourable opportunity ; 
the moon was nearly full ; I was in excellent 

training," from having lately climbed some 
of the heights in Switzerland ; and additional 
interest was given to the undertaking, from the 
lapse of four ^^ears since the last ascent, which, 
according to a list seen at the Priory, was made 
by my countryman, Capt. E. B. Wilbraham, 
in 1830.^ 



* I was informed that an attempt had been made this summer (1834) 
by two gentlemen of Savoy, but that, from bad weather, it had failed. 



5 



Taking all circumstances into consideration, 
I concluded to make the attempt, though it had 
been first seriously contemplated only a few 
hours before ; and having procured six guides, 
I set out the next morning, (16th) at half-past 
eight o'clock. The enterprise became speedily 
and generally known in the village ; and, in 
consequence, a number of persons assembled 
near the Hotel de TUnion, to witness our de- 
parture. The cottagers too, as we passed 
through the valley, gave us their best wishes ; 
here and there an anxious face bespeaking re- 
lationship with some of the guides. 

We passed through the pine wood eastward of 
the Buissons glacier, reaching successively the 
Chalet de la Para, (the last human habitation,) 
Pierre Pointue, and Pierre a I'Echelle; the latter 
point by 12 at noon. Here we overtook some 
men, employed by the guides to carry thus far 
part of the baggage, consisting of wood, char- 
coal, extra clothing and blankets, with several 
culinary utensils, and provisions for three days. 
After accompanying us a short distance, they 
took their leave, and returned to Chamonix. 
Several chamois were now seen bounding fleetly 
over the rocks just above us. We had surprised 



6 



them in a situation from which even these ani- 
mals could not easily extricate themselves ; and 
two or three minutes elapsed before the last of 
them made its escape. We dined at this spot, and 
soon afterwards at the foot of the Aiguille du 
Midi, entered upon the ice, over which, exclu- 
sivelt/, our course now lay, and which was 7000 
feet in perpendicular altitude The soles of 
my shoes were here armed with steel points to 
prevent slipping. While engaged in introducing 
them, a boy, dispatched from the village of Les 
Pelerins to the Priory^ for some spirit of wine^ 
which I wanted for an experiment on the sum- 
mit, came breathless towards us ; but it was 
sulphuric acid ! not alcohol, that he had brought. 

Crossing the glacier de Buissons, and ob- 
liquely ascending, we proceeded in a south-west 
direction, to the Mulcts, an isolated chain of rocks, 
on one of which we hoped to pass the night. 

The difficulties usually met with in crossing ^ 
the glacier, have been described by several pre- 
ceding travellers, who have been up the moun- 
tain.^ On this occasion, the great width of 
the fissures, as had been anticipated, constituted 



■* The following is very descriptive : — " It was the avalanche alone 
that we had hitherto to fear, but now new dangers arose from the 



7 



a principal one ; often compelling us to retrace 



Having found it impossible to reach the Grand 
Mulct at the most eligible point, we were obliged 
to descend toward its base ; but here an almost 
perpendicular wall of solid ice appeared entirely 
to cut off the immediate approach to the rock. 
However, at length, two of the guides, with the 
greatest difficulty, gained it ; and then, by means 
of cords, drew up the rest of the party, as well 

crevices, those deep clefts in the ice formed by the constant movement 
of the body towards the valley, which separates immense parts of it. 
The higher masses, meeting with some slight opposition, remain sta- 
tionary ; the lower, proceeding in their course, widen the breach ; and 
thus throughout the whole glacier, in every direction, are formed tre- 
mendous fissures." ****** " We were surrounded by ice piled 
up in mountains, crevices presenting themselves at every step, and 
masses half sunk into some deep gulph; the remainder, raised above 
us, seemed to put insurmountable barriers to our proceeding : yet some 
part was found where steps could be cut with the hatchet, and we 
passed over these bridges, often grasping the ice with one hand, while 
the other, bearing the pole, balanced the body, hanging over some 
abyss, into which the eye penetrated, and searched in vain for the 
extremity. Sometimes we were obliged to climb up from one crag of 
ice to another, sometimes to scramble along a ledge on our hands and 
knees, often descending into a deep chasm on the one side, and scaling 
the slippery precipice on the other." — " Narrative of an Ascent to the 
Summit of Mont Blanc, on the 8th and 9th August^ 1827, % John 
Auldjo, Esq. of Trinity College, Cambridge, Second Edition,'' — a 
volume which I recommend to those who may desire to see a more 
detailed account than it is my purpose to give. 




8 



as the baggage. In this perilous undertaking, 
the leading guide ascended the ice cliff, by a 
circuitous course, secured with a rope held by 
those below, as a false step would certainly have 
otherwise proved fatal ; his track lying along the 
brink of a precipice. (See the two Plates.*) 
Our pioneers on this, and indeed on all occa- 
sions, where the greatest coolness, intrepidity, 
experience, and judgment were required, were 
Joseph Marie Couttet, and Michel Balmat. Of 
these brave men I cannot speak too highly : 
without them, the undertaking would undoubt- 
edly have proved a failure, at this as well as at 
other difficult parts. The well-known Couttet, 
my principal guide, had been up eight times be- 
fore ; he was swept away by an avalanche in 
Dr. Hamel's attempt (1820,) with four others, 
three of whom were never afterwards found. No 
one should attempt the ascent of Mont Blanc 
without him. He is also a remarkably intelli- ^ 
gent man. I was always glad to have him and 
Balmat near me when they were not obliged to 
take the lead.f 



* The plates present only a small portion of the rock, near its base, 
t These remarks respecting the guides may be of service to some 
future traveller ; and having mentioned two of them, I may as well 



9 



Having at length gained the Grand Mulet 
rock, hut at a point much lower down than usual, 
and as it appears by a memorandum which Cout- 
tet afterwards handed me, with a degree of diffi- 
culty, that he had seen equalled on no former 
occasion,*' a dangerous climb, of perhaps two 
hundred feet, was required, to bring us to that part 
proposed as our resting place for the night; a nar- 
row ledge, usually selected, as being out of the 
reach of avalanches. We reached this spot b}^ 
half-past six. It consisted in a flat surface of a few 
square feet, forming a sort of open shelf, on the 
south-west side of the rock ; its margin a preci- 
pice. Our batons, inclined against the rock, 

give the names of the rest. They were, Pierre Tairraz, who had been 
up three times ; Francois Despland and Simon Tournier, each up once 
before ; and Jean Tairraz, up for the first time. They all had their 
good qualities, and each of them had an opportunity of rendering me 
assistance in difficult and dangerous places, and performed his part in 
the most faithful manner. The one last named, is a courageous, en- 
terprising, and very obliging guide, v^hose attentions, during our sojourn 
upon the rock, contributed much to my personal comfort. 

* The following is a copy of partof the memorandum received from 
Couttet : — " Je soussigne et certifie avoir ete 9 fois au sommet du Mont 
Blanc. Je n'ai jamais rencontre autant de difficultes que cette fois-ci 
(avec le Docteur Barry, que j'ai accompagne jusq'au sommet du Mont 
Blanc) pour arriver au Grand Mulet: et la neige nouvelle nous a 
beaucoup fatigue. Malgre toutes les difficultes, notre voyage a ete 
heureux. — Chamonix, le 20 Septembre, 1834. 

(Signed) Couttet Joseph, Guide." 



10 



served as rafters for the roof of a little cabin, 
which was completed with canvass, two or three 
blankets having been spread on its floor. I found 
the height of the barometer here, at three-quarters 
past six o'clock, to be = Eng. inches 21.235; 
the attached thermometer = 45^.50 F. A fire 
was made at a short distance from the tent, and 
we supped with good appetites around it. At 
nine o'clock, having tripled some parts of our 
clothing, and provided particularly for the feet, 
we crept into our cabin, and soon found that, 
lying very closely together, we were sufficiently 
warm. 

Awaking at twelve, I got up, and regretted to 
see that two of the guides, Couttet and J. Tair- 
raz, were lying in the open air, from want of 
room in the tent. The cold, however, was not 
intense, for a thermometer, which at nine o'clock 
indicated 39** F. had risen to 42®, a smart breeze 
from the south-west having entirely subsided. 
At half-past one, a. m., the thermometer had 
again fallen to 41®. 

It was a brilliant night. The full moon had 
risen over the summit of the mountain, and 
shone resplendent on the glazed surface of its 
snowy covering. The guides were sleeping. 



11 



Thus, m the midnight hour, at an elevation of 
ten thousand feet, I stood — alone : my resting- 
place a pinnacle of rock, that towered darkly 
above the frozen wilderness from which it, 
isolated, rose. Below me lay piled, in the 
wildest confusion, the colossal masses of ice we 
had been climbing, and whose dangers we had 
narrowly escaped : around and above was a sea 
of fair but treacherous snow, whose hidden 
perils we had yet to encounter. The Jura moun- 
tains, and many an unknown peak of Switzer- 
land, seen dimly in the distance, gave me an 
earnest of the prospect from still more elevated 
regions. The vale of Chamonix was sleeping 
at the foot of the mountain ; and, broken by 
the occasional thunder of an avalanche, the 
profoundest silence reigned. It seemed the 
vastest, sternest, sublimest of Nature's imagery 
reposing; — now starting as in a fitful dream, — 
then sinking again into the stillest calm. Oh, 
such a scene ! It held me until, at the end of 
an hour and a half, a recollection of the coming 
day's fatigues, rendered it prudent again to take 
repose. 

At five on the morning of the 17th, we left 
' the Grand Mulct. Proceeding at first across 



12 



the icy valley, that lay between us and the 
Dome du Gouttet, we reached almost the base 
of the latter; and then ascending more directly, 
often by a zig-zag course, arrived at the Grand 
Plateau by nine o'clock : another great stage of 
the journey being thus accomplished. 

The newly fallen snow, from a foot to eighteen 
inches in depth, had rendered the way fatigu- 
ing; it had been needful for our leader to ascer- 
tain the safety of every step with the baton, 
and we had proceeded in a line, united, two or 
three together, with cords, following carefully 
the same track. Latterly our way had lain over 
vast fields of snow, but the early part of it had 
presented scenery even more magnificent than 
that of the preceding day. Chasms of un- 
fathomable depth, — towers of ice, — caverns and 
grottoes, whose crystal walls were adorned 
with a tapestry of inimitable beauty, — splendid 
'^stalactites" guarding the entrance, that seemed 
hung with a silver fringe. Such scenes live in 
the memory, but cannot be adequately imparted 
by words. No wonder if I often turned, and 
turned again, not knowing how to leave them.^ 



* The blue-green colour of the ice, when occurring in large masses 
is here seen on the grandest scale ; a phenomenon not less interesting 
than beautiful. 



13 



Very different feelings, however, soon took 
the place of the admiration which this scenery 
had excited. Difficulties occurred, that it re- 
quired all the experience and intrepidity of 
Couttet and Balmat to overcome. At one point, 
indeed, it was found absolutely impossible to 
proceed further in the same course; and from 
the top of a block of ice, obstacles were dis- 
covered requiring an extensive change of route. 
The two exploring guides went a considerable 
distance in the direction of the Dome du Gouttet, 
in search of a new route ; the rest of the party, 
knee-deep in the snow, anxiously awaiting their 
return: but they were foiled. Another, and yet 
another course was sought, but in vain. Four 
years having elapsed since Mont Blanc was last 
ascended, we knew not but that, from the shift- 
ing nature of the snow masses, changes had 
occurred sufficient to entirely prevent our fur- 
ther progress. The half French, half Italian, 
patois of the guides, scarcely understood by me 
when, under ordinary circumstances, they con- 
versed among themselves, was now sufficiently 
intelligible, from the frequent occurrence of the 
exclamations of disappointment. Their faces, 
indeed, convinced me that the success of the 



14 



undertaking was not far from being despaire^i 
of. 

One other direction was tried : a long, steep, 
and circuitous ascent, that afforded the last 
forlorn hope. Depressed as we were, how great 
was now the labour of the way; how slow, and 
painful, our zig-zag course. This effect was not 
without its physiological interest, however little 
comfort the consideration was, at that time, cal- 
culated to afford me. The weary ascent of this 
part being at length accomplished, a great 
fissure next presented itself, the passage of 
which was impossible; and from this point 
we must certainly have returned, but for a 
bridge of ice, discovered at a distance. We 
made for it, — it bore us over, — and our hopes 
brightened. But we had now to pass some very 
treacherous ice, among holes covered with re- 
cent snow, by which the dangers of the track 
were concealed. Repeatedly did the leading- 
guide turn, to warn us of openings into which 
his staff had been suddenly plunged, communi- 
cating perhaps with cavities of great depth. 

How cheering, in the midst of these dangers 
and toils, the voice of one of the guides, who, 
aware that we had reached a point, from which. 



15 



by means of the telescope, we could be dis- 
cerned from the valley, turned to me with the 
announcement, On nous regardel'' He knew 
that there would be observers watchins: our 
progress; and I well knew that, among the 
most anxious of them, there was one, a near 
relative of mine, whose painful suspense, during 
my absence, had been to me, and continued, the 
only consideration that marred the pleasures of 
the enterprize. We soon afterwards reached 
the Grand Plateau, and as the difficulties that 
now lay before us were not expected to be in- 
surmountable, in the existing state of the wea- 
ther, we sat down to breakfast at this spot, in 
very good spirits. 

Three plains of snow crossed in the ascent, 
have been called Plateaus. The highest of 
these is the Grand Plateau. It was on the 
middle one, that De Saussure, with eighteen 
guides, passed the second night in his ascent in 
1787. Speaking of it, he says it is 90 toises 
(=575 English feet) higher than the Peak 
of TenerifFe. 

We left the Grand Plateau before ten o'clock. 
Above it are the Rochers Rouges, where the fatal 
avalanche occurred in Dr. Hamel's attempt in 



16 



18*20. De SaussLire's course lay to the west of 
these rocks : we went eastward of them, by the 
new route discovered in 1827, when my country- 
men C. Fellowes and W. Hawes ascended, and 
by which a very dangerous part is avoided. 

Great dryness of the skin was now observed, 
thirst became intense, and it seemed scarcely 
possible even to alleviate it, though we were con- 
stantly eating snow. The guides had stored 
their pockets with sugar and French plums, 
which were found refreshing. Not being dis- 
posed to give up the prospect around me, a veil 
that had been taken was not used; and this 
omission perhaps was the cause of some decuti- 
cation of the face, and not a little soreness 
around the lips and nostrils, which occurred a 
few days after. Possibly this excessive desic- 
cation of the face might be prevented, on such 
an expedition, by using some unctuous matter 
during the journey. The inconvenient glare of 
the snow is obviated by the use of green specta- 
cles, which indeed were found almost indis- 
pensable. 

A dipterous insect was found dead on the 
snow, at about 1500 feet below the summit, and 
a living hymenopterous one, 300 feet higher ; 



17 



both having probably been carried up by the 
wind. Professor Bronn, of Heidelberg, has 
been so obliging as to examine these for me, 
and reports, that the first, which had lost some 
important parts, corresponds most nearly with 
the description of Sijrphus arcuatus of Fallen 
and Meigen ; and that if it be this, the vicinity 
of Mont Blanc is a new station for it, as, accor- 
ding to Meigen's monograph, it had previously 
been found in Sweden only. On the day after 
my return from the mountain, I saw two or 
three of what appeared to be the same insects 
alive, near the " Jardin," about 9000 feet above 
the sea. They were extremely vigilant, and 
rapid on the wing: I could not catch one. The 
second, which is very small, is so much injured 
and crushed, that Professor Bronn informs me it 
would not be possible to determine it, except in 
a very perfect collection. 

Two large birds were seen at a distance, pass- 
ing over the shoulder of the mountain, from 
Piedmont to Savoy. 

Our progress after leaving the Grand Plateau, 
at first obstructed by the passage of some very 
formidable cliffs of ice, had latterly been im- 
peded only by the depth of the soft snow ; but 

B 



18 



now we reached the foot of a declivity of 35*^ to 
40^ with the horizon, and many hundred feet in 
height. It was the epaule droite" of the sum- 
mit. The snow here had hardened sufficiently 
to prevent our advancing a single step, with- 
out holes being first cut with the hatchet ; yet 
it had not become so hard as to render firm the 
footing thus obtained.^ It was found frequently 
and suddenly slipping back; and when we had 
reached a considerable height in the decli- 
vity, this became exceedingly dangerous. In 
no part of the ascent were the cords, by which 
I was attached to the guides, more serviceable 
than here. Our progress, too, was so slow, that 
I suffered not a little from the cold ; a keen 
breeze prevailing at the time. My feet indeed 
felt as if all but frozen, on which account the 
footing became doubly insecure. I did not feel 
disposed to indulge myself with the prospect 
below me, for it seemed as if the momentum, 
acquired by a fall to the foot of the declivity, 
would have sufficed to carry us over the margin 
of the steep glacier de la Brenva, and thus to 



* Availing myself of an appropriate comparison in the narrative 
already quoted, as applying to the snow in another part of the moun- 
tain, it resembled a ^'conglomerate of hailstones'' 



19 



precipitate us an unknown depth, on the Italian 
side of the mountain. This ascent brought us 
above the Rochers Rouges; the next, a slope of 
28^ to 30^, apparently not very difficult, was 
to take us to the summit. 

But we had now reached an elevation, where 
I had to verify the testimony of preceding tra- 
vellers, by experiencing the exhaustion, conse- 
quent on very slight exertion, in an atmosphere 
whose density is so exceedingly reduced: an 
inconvenience which had not been felt, by me at 
least, before arriving at this point (about 14,700 
feet above the sea), and I had not observed it in 
any of the guides. Only a few steps could now 
be taken at a time ; and these became both 
fewer and slower. Two or three deep inspirations 
appeared sufficient at each pause to enable me 
to proceed ; but, on making the attempt, I found 
the exhaustion returned as before. I felt a de- 
gree of indifference too, which even a sight of 
the summit, just within reach, did not suffice to 
remove. Slight faintness also came on, so that 
I had at last to sit down for a few minutes : 
when, a little wine having been taken, one more 
effort was made, and at a quarter past two 
o'clock we stood on the highest summit; having 

B 2 



20 



been seen to reacli it, as we afterwards fonnd, 
both from the valley of Chamonix, and from 
Mont Brevent opposite.^ 

After a few minutes of rest on the summit, 
all the exhaustion, faintness, and indifference 
had ceased : the mountain-top was gained, — 
the dano-ers of the descent were not for a 
moment considered, — and it was with a thrill 
of exultation, never felt before, that I addressed 
myself to the contemplation of the prospect 
around and beneath ; the stupendous splendour 
of which, it is as impossible to conceive, as it 
would be vain to attempt to describe. 

The range of sight, though limited by moun- 
tain chains in various directions, comprehends 
nearly the whole of Sardinia, the western half 
of Switzerland, one third of Lombardy, and an 
eighth of France. This immense space is really 
of an oval form : its longitudinal diameter 
extending from Mont Morran in France, on the 
north-west, to the neighbourhood of Genoa on 
the south-east ; having Berne and Milan on th€ 

* " It requires seventeen hours' march to reach it (the summit), but 
the difficulties which are met with, lengthen the route, retard the 
march, and render this calculation of the distance very uncertain : 
indeed, it is. generally estimated at eighteen leagues." (Appendix to 
the Narrative hi/ J. Auldjo, already quoted,) 



21 



one hand, Lyons and Grenobles on the other, ^ 
In a north-west direction lie the plains of 
France, in the south-east those of Lombardy 
and Piedmont : a mountainous tract, containing 
all the Pennine, and part of the Rhetian Alps, 
with the whole chain of the Jura, forming the 
space between. But there are directions in 
which the prospect is still more extended ; for 
example, the mountains of Tuscany may be 
distinctly seen. 

Among the objects on which I dwelt with 
the greatest satisfaction, was a host of inacces- 
sible aiguilles," projecting darkly through 
seas of snow, immediately around, and forming, 
as it were, the buttresses of Mont Blanc itself: 
their needle summits, to which we had almost 
with giddiness looked up, now lying, sur- 
mounted, far beneath our feet. 

There were pointed out to me, proceeding from 
left to right, the Maritime Alps, the chain of the 
Jura from end to end, the Lake of Geneva, the 
Buet, the Diablerrets, the Ghemmi, the St. 

* Of course neither of these cities is visible : they are here men- 
tioned only from their being situated in or near the line that bounds 
the panorama. Even less distant objects, unless very elevated, can 
be, by the human eye, but indistinctly traced ; and the nearer ones 
are necessarily much diminished when seen from such an altitude. 



22 



Gothard, the Furka, the Mittaghorn, the Matter- 
horn, the beautiful Mont Rosa, Mont Faucon, 
the chain of the Appenines, Mont Cenis, the 
mountains of Tuscany, and other heights. All 
the mountains of the Bernese Oberland, the 
Finster-aar-horn and the Jungfrau, together, 
formed but an inconsiderable portion of the 
mighty whole. And all this was seen under a 
sky, literally without a cloud* 

The height of the mountain, according to the 
calculation of De Saussure, is 14,70.0 French, or 
English feet (one French foot being 
= 1,06575 English). The extreme summit is a 
ridge nearly 200 feet in length, its direction 
east and west; the slope of the north side form- 
ing an angle, estimated by De Saussure (in 
1787) at 40«-50o; that on the south 15«-20«. 
This estimate, which applied to the covering of 
^ snow, may be considered as not materially dif- 
ferent at the present time. 

I found the heig^ht of the barometer to be 

* Of the summit I have since had an excellent view from the 
mountain road, between Neucha^el and Basle ; at three or four hours* 
ride from the former place : so distinct, indeed, as to admit of being 
sketched. This was at a distance of about thirty leagues in a straight 
line. De Saussure believed that he saw it from Dijon in France, 
distant fifty leagues. 



i 

23 

= 17,052 inches Eng., suspended, and screened 
by the incasing wood from the sun's rays ; the 
attached thermometer indicating 32^ F. : a breeze 
blowing from the south. 

De Saussure found the boiling point of water 
at the summit of Mont Blanc to be 68*^,993 R. 
(= 187^,234 F.) Naturally wishing to repeat 
this interesting experiment, I had a fire lighted 
in a chauffer, provided for the purpose. With 
the aid of bellows, our materials, wood and 
charcoal, were kindled with less trouble than 
had been anticipated (Couttet assuring me 
that this had never been done before).* In 
a culinary utensil of water, in full ebullition, 
I immersed a thermometer, which I had pro- 
cured at Chamonix, (my own thermometer 
having been broken), and carefully observed the 
height of the mercury when it ceased to rise. I 
am sorry, however, that I am prevented from here 
inserting the- temperature indicated. The scale 
was found to be loose, and the graduation very 

* I have since found that De Saussure had a charcoal fire made on 
the summit ; but finding it very difficult to support it, he used it only for 
the purpose of melting snow for a beverage. A spirit-lamp v^^as em- 
ployed by him for the boiling of water. Of the charcoal he says, that, 
without the unceasing application of bellows, " il s'eioignoit au moment 
mhmy 



24 



inaccurate, as since discovered on comparing it 
with a standard. It did not bear the maker's 
name. 

The report of a pistol, twice fired, was found, 
as expected, very feeble. It may be worth no- 
ticing, in connection with the subject of sound, 
that when within a few hundred feet of the sum- 
mit, in ascending, the snow being hard, and its 
surface glazed, and some of the guides consider- 
ably in advance, the creaking noise produced 
by the points of their batons in the snow, as it 
reached me, could be compared to nothing but 
the distant lowing of cattle. 

While on the summit, Couttet fetched me 
specimens from the Rochers Meridionales, the 
highest rocks on its south side. One of these, 
marked (A\ is a granite ; two (B) are sienites, 
consisting of a blackish hornblende and white 
felspar, in intimate aggregation ; the fourth (C) 
is hornblende, with veins of asbestos ; and the 
fifth (D) a compound of hornblende and felspar, 
one of the " Rochers a bulles vitreuses" of De 
Saussure, who attributed to lightning the glassy 
vesicles presented by their surface. 

In our way down I procured specimens of 
the Derniers Rochers (E), two little masses of 



25 



granite or protogine, projecting through the snow 
near the middle of the last slope, and therefore 
A ery near the summit on its north side. Frag- 
ments, doubtless the effect of lightning, lay 
around them on the snow. The felspar, gene- 
rally whitish, forms about three-fourths of the 
mass ; the quartz is grey, with a tinge of violet ; 
and chlorite and talc occupy almost exclusively 
the place of mica. De Saussure has given a 
most minute description of the composition of 
these - the hio;hest rocks which at that time had 
been examined by naturalists ; -he stated also 
the dimensions of one of them, to enable future 
travellers to ascertain whether the snow con- 
tinued to deepen on the summit. From what I 
recollect of this rock, it projects just about as 
much now, as it did at the time of De Saussure 's 
visit, which was nearly half a century ago. 

I intend sending specimens of all these rocks, 
marked as above, to Professor Jameson, for the 
Royal Museum of Natural History in the Uni- 
versity of Edinburgh. They are interesting, as 
being the highest visible rocks in Europe. 

The observations of others were verified re- 
garding the blackish-blue colour of the sky, par- 
ticularly in and near the zenith, as seen from 



26 



these lofty regions. The depth of this colour is 
known to depend on causes, which make it vary 
with latitude, the elevation of the observer, the 
sun's altitude, the season of the year, &c. ; 
but the tint appeared to me to derive not a 
little additional depth from the simultaneous 
reception by the eye of rays from the snow : for, 
having been particularly struck with its inten- 
sity when in a valley many hundred feet below 
the summit, with high w^alls of snow around, I 
excluded the latter from the eye, and found the 
tinge of hlack more or less completely to disap- 
pear. To make this observation, I lay on my 
back, and closed my eyes for some moments ; then 
opened them on the zenith, the snow being shut 
out from view, by a cylinder formed with both 
hands. I do not find a shade in Werner's 

* Should the accuracy of this observation be corroborated by future 
ones, the value of the cyanometer, above the snow line, will depend on 
a judicious selection of stations by the observer. The darker tint 
acquired by portions of the sky, when viewed in connection with white 
objects, such as dense and brilliant cumuli, with well defined borders, 
affords a familiar example of the same kind of effect; but, with the 
far deeper blue of these lofty regions, and with mountains of snow 
inunediately around, the effect is in proportion more striking. 

Without entering into the question whether the blue of the sky is an 
objective or a subjective colour, {Muncke considers it purely sub- 
jective: — see his paper, "Ueber einige optische Gegenstande," in 
Schweigger's Journal, XXX, p. 81. See also Gehler's Worterbuch, 



27 



Nomenclature," corresponding with the colour, 
as seen either with or without the snow ; and 
of course it is not easy to speak from recollec- 
tion on this subject ; but probabl}^ an approach 
to the blackest tint observed, might be made by 
taking from " Pansy Purple' a little of its car- 
mine red, and adding a very little more of raven- 
black. As viewed without the snow, " China 
hlue,'^ with the addition of a very little more 
of Prussian blue, might perhaps represent the 

new Edition, p. 504.) it is obvious that the additional depth of tint, 
acquired in the above-mentioned way, is of a subjective character. 
The greater intensity of the impression produced by the white rays, 
incapacitates the eye to appreciate fully the blue: we refer to the latter 
the antithesis of the former, i. e. a more or less distinct trace of black. 

In like manner, when the stronger impression on the eye is pro- 
duced by the yellow or red of one object, the effect on the apparent 
colour of another, viewed in connection with the first, is such as would 
be communicated to it by the addition of their complementary colours, 
blue and green, respectively, and vice versa ; though it is only under 
certain circumstances that this is recognizable. An example occurs in 
the green tint, occasionally assumed by the sky, in autumn and winter, 
when clouds of a deep red occupy portions of the horizon. A similar 
effect is observed at times in the neighbourhood of glaciers, when the 
latter are illuminated by the setting sun. {Kdmtz, in " Allgem 
Encyclop.'' art. Himmel.) I may add, that when the sky of Mont 
Blanc was viewed with green spectacles, the discs of the latter became 
surrounded with a broad and brilliant zone, approaching in colour the 
" Campanula Purple" of Werner, but of a much more reddish hue. 
This result differs in degree only from those obtainable with coloured 
glass in lower regions. 



28 



colour. It did not insensibly pass into the pale 
whitish-blue of the horizon, but, what desei^es 
remark, terminated hy a well defined harder at 
some ten degrees above it. 

We had all left the summit by half-past three ; 
several of the guides having descended sooner, 
a few hundred feet, to a more sheltered situa- 
tion. One of them had headach, probably from 
some ])randy he had taken. The rest indivi- 
dually assured me that they were perfectly well, 
and thev all said that their breathino- had neither 
on this, nor on any former occasion, been af- 
fected while at rest on the summit. Observa- 
tions on the pulse of several had been made in 
the valley, with the intention to repeat them on 
the top of the mountain ; but in prosecuting the 
other objects, it was forgotten. I may remark, 
that I did not find it needful to take any strono-er 
drink, during the journey, than wine, a little 
better than the vin ordinaire,"' or table beve- 
raoe, of the country. Lemonade was found very 
refi'eshing. No inclination was felt to eat while 
on the summit. I have already mentioned, that 
unquenchable thirst was experienced. 

The descent, in parts impeded by its steep- 
ness, and on this account attended with some 



29 



danger at the " epaale droite," was, upon 
the whole, very rapid, — the guides sometimes 
sliding down fields of snow, supported by their 
batons. While descending the slopes of ice above 
the Grand Plateau, I met with frequent and severe 
falls, from the new snow concealing their slippery 
surface ; and, as I more than once slid down to 
near the margin of a precipice, this was not 
unattended with danger. But the guides ap- 
peared to be alarmed only, lest the over-hanging 
masses of snow should be thus set in motion ; 
for it happened just at a part, where they were 
anxious to proceed as gently as possible, scarcely 
venturing to speak aloud, from its liability to 
avalanches, which w^ere also very likely to occur 
at that time of the day, (it was between four and 
five in the afternoon,) and by which we might 
have had a recurrence of the fatal scene of 1820, 
already referred to, that took place at but a 
short distance from this spot. 

In passing over a dangerous part we had 
crossed in the morning, I stept, with one foot, 
into a hole concealed by snow. On being drawn 
out, I attempted to explore the opening, and 
discovered, that a mere crust, a few inches thick, 
was all that still separated me from a cavity, 



30 



impenetrably dark, and whose deptli was, there- 
fore, unknown. It is not improbable that the 
extent of the cavity, in other directions, was in 
proportion to its depth ; and that had the crust 
given way, my two nearest guides would have 
shared wdth me the consequences. This affords 
an example of the necessity of several persons 
being constantly attached together with cords ; 
though even this precaution might have here 
proved unavailing. 

We returned to the Grand Mulet by a quarter 
past six, i. e. in little more than one-fourth of 
the time it had taken to ascend from this rock 
to the summit. It was afterwards found that a 
spectator, my relative, already mentioned, de- 
scending from the Brevent, had, with the assist- 
ance of a glass, counted us, — seven in number, — 
into these our quarters for the night. The scene 
at sunset, both on this and the preceding even- 
ing, was splendid, the sun's disc appearing, as 
noticed by others, very much smaller than 
when seen from lower regions. At half-past six 
o'clock, the barometer was = 21.225 inches Eng- 
lish, its attached thermometer being = 44*^.37 
Fahrenheit. 

A fire was again made, the cabin re-con- 



31 



structed on the same ledge as the precedhig 
evening, we supped, and retired to rest. Two 
of the guides again passed the night without a 
shelter (but without sustaining any harm). Had 
a storm arisen, it is probable that we should all 
have done the same, for a gust of wind would 
have blown away the batons and sheet, which 
formed our cabin. 

As many of the attempted ascents of Mont 
Blanc ha-ve been unsuccessful from bad weather, 
extreme cold, or fatigue, it seems exceedingly 
desirable that a more substantial shelter should 
be provided, into which a party could retire, 
for even a few days, if requisite ; and as addi- 
tional interest would be given to Chamonix by 
any thing facilitating the ascent of Mont Blanc, 
it might be worth the consideration of the Sar- 
dinian Government, to employ some men a 
month or two, in hewing out a cavity in the 
Grand Mulct rock for this purpose. 

The next morning, 18th^ on this rock, the 
barometer, at a quarter past six, stood at 21.198 
inches English, the attached thermometer being 
= 39*^.87 F. Specimens were collected of the 
plants within reach. Among them were Ai^etia 
alpina, Saxifraga bryoides, Poa laxa and 



32 



nemoralis, with several lichens and mosses not yet 
determined. Specimens were also taken of a 
micaceous rock occurring here, containing cubes 
of iron p^a-ites ; also of gneiss with asbestos. A 
small bird was observed on the rock, wdiich, 
however, I did not see. We were gratified, just 
before starting, with the sight of a splendid ava- 
lanche, which occurred at a distance, as esti- 
mated b}^ one of the guides, of une demi-heure" 
(= 1| mile English), and in a few moments, a 
shower of ice particles, that resulted from it, 
reached us. 

We left the Grand Mulct at half-past seven 
A. M., and retraced our steps as nearly as pos- 
sible across the glacier ; here and there, by a 
shorter passage, saving part of the distance. At 
the foot of the Aiguille du Midi, numerous frag- 
ments of ice, very newly fallen, covered the 
ground for a considerable distance, and we 
hastened over it in dread of more. 

Having safely re-crossed the glacier, all se- 
rious danger w^as past. The undertaking had 
been particularly w^ell-timed : it w^as not until 
De Saussure's third attempt, and after he had 
contemplated the ascent for six-and-twenty 
years, that he succeeded ; and the indefatigable 



33 



Bourrit was obliged to return at jive different 
times, and never accomplished his object. 

Human forms were soon afterwards descried 
on the rocks below Pierre a I'Echelle ; and I had 
the satisfaction, truly not a small one, of recog- 
nizing among them my friend, who, accompanied 
by a man and boy, had ascended thus far to 
meet me. He, as well as other observers, had 
witnessed, from the Brevent, our arrival on the 
summit, and had seen us in different parts of 
the snowy track. His feelings, on first dicover- 
ing us, which was, as I had expected, a little 
before we reached the Grand Plateau, may be 
appreciated from the fact of his having, a few 
hours previously, observed a tremendous ava- 
lanche,^' near the Grand Mulct, just at the time 
when we were likely to be leaving that rock. 
As seen with a telescope, we had appeared 
like black points, slowly moving along in a line, 
and separated by spaces corresponding with 
the lengths of the uniting cords. 

It was very interesting to me, just before 
reaching the valley, to meet with Jacques 
Balmat, an old man of 73, who, in an attempt 



* In magnitude, it had resembled a city falling : the icy edifices first 
dashing fearfully down the glacier from side to side; — then buried in 
a cloud of particles, into which they had been shivered. 



34 



to ascend this mountain in the year 1786, having 
passed a night alone in a storm upon the snow, 
discovered a way — probably the only way — of 
reaching the summit, and the same year con- 
ducted Dr. Paccard to it. He was De Saus- 
sure's principal guide in 1787, and has been sur- 
named ^' Mont Blanc." 

At the village of Les Pelerins, several of my 
countrymen congratulated me on my safe re- 
turn ; and as we passed through the valley, the 
cottage doors presented smiling countenances, 
that bespoke a heart-felt welcome, and feelings 
very different from those with which our de- 
parture had been witnessed three days before. 

Between three and four o'clock in the after- 
noon, we arrived at the Priory, not having met 
with any accident, and having had three days 
during which I did not see a cloud. The baro- 
meter brought down from Mont Blanc stood at 
26,918 English inches at five p.m , the attached 
thermometer r= 7 P. 37 F. ; hence I found that it 
had sustained no injury, and that the observations 
taken at the summit, &c. might be relied on. 

In the evening the guides supped with me, 
my relative and the venerable Jacques Balmat 

de Mont Blanc " joining us. What a repast 



35 



it was ! Jacques Balmat could tell of dangers 
half a century gone by — of a night spent in 
solitude, in a storm, upon the glacier — of the 
exultation felt when the summit was attained 
for the first time, the result of his own perse- 
vering exertions,* Couttet, precipitated 

into a crevice by an avalanche in 1820; buried, 
and almost asphyxized, in the snow, when dis- 
covered and drawn out by a fellow-guide, f — who 
had fallen into the same fissure, — had now stood 
on the summit for the ninth time : with him 
and Michel Balmat, more especially, I could 
converse of the dangers we had together shared, 
for they usually took immediate charge of me, 
when not required to go in advance of the party. 
It was Balmat who had given me the wine, when 
fainting on the last slope. Of Jean Tairraz I 
could say, that it was he who drew me out of 
the cavity into which I was falling, and that he 
made the fire, by which water was boiled on 
the summit, (He was very anxious that I 

* By a letter from Couttet, I am grieved to learn that this interesting 
old man is supposed to have perished on a mountain near the " Dent 
de Midi de Bex," whither he had gone in search of minerals. 

f Julien Devouassoud, a very distinguished guide, whose affecting 
relation of the catastrophe is given in Dr. Clarke's narrative. I 
regretted that his absence from Chamonix prevented my having his 
services. 

c2 



36 



should notice the latter in his certificate, which 
was done.) Tournier had had me in charge in 
some critical moments : Despland had assisted 
me in scalino; two hundred feet of the Grand 
Mulct : Pierre Tairraz had taken a fur cover- 
ing for his feet during the night, at this rock, 
but wrapped it around my own. These brave 
Savoyards, — three days before, I had seen them 
for the first time ; but our common dangers, our 
hair-breadth escapes, their true services, made 
my friendship towards them feel as of older 
date ; and it was with not a little regret that 
I bade them farewell ! 

It appeared by the list at the Priory, that 
mine was the sixteenth ascent, and later in the 
season by seven days than any former one. By 
the same document, I found myself to be the 
twentieth person (guides not included), and the 
twelfth Briton, who had reached the summit. 
A certificate, from the Sardinian Government, 
of having accomplished the ascent, was, as is 
usual, received from the Syndic, or Magistrate 
of Chamonix, attested by the guides.^ 

* Extract from the certificate : — ■ 

" Nous, Sindic de la Commune de Chamonix, province de Fau- 
cigny, Duche de Savoie, certifions et attestons a qui de droit, que 



37 



Of those who have reached the summit up to 
the present time, there appear to have been 1 
Savoyard, 2 Swiss, 12 Britons, 1 Courlandais, 
1 Hamburger, 1 Pole, 2 Americans — in all, 20."^ 

Monsieur Martin Barry, Anglais, Docteur en Medecine et en Phi- 
losopliie, a fait I'ascension du Mont-Blanc, le dix-sept du Courant, 
accompagne des six guides de nommes Tairraz Jean Pierre, Couttet 
Joseph Marie, Balmat Jean Michel, Despland Francois, Tournier 
Simon, et Tairraz Jean. Qu'ils sont partis de Chamonix le seize du 
Courant pour aller coucher au Grand Mulet, et parvenus le lendemain 
dix-sept du Courant sur la cime du Mont-Blanc, a deux heures apres 
midi, avec un beau terns, ou Mr le Docteur Barry est reste, accom- 
pagne de ses guides, plus d'une heure de terns, et ou il a fait diverses 
experiences phisiques, et observations barometriques. Qu'il sont 
successivement redescendus coucher au Grand Mulet, ou ils sont 
arrives a sept heures du soir, et de retour ici aujourdhui a Chamonix 
a trois heures apres-midi, tous sains et saufs : que pendant leur ascen- 
sion, ils ont continuellement [frequemment] ete aperj us et observes 
par la multitude des voyageurs qui se trouvaient a Cbamonix, et par 
les habitants de la Commune, (meme au moment ou ils arriverent a la 
sommite de cette montagne dont I'elevation fait temerite(?) et la rend 
remarkable. ***** En temoignage de quoi nous lui avons delivr6 
le present, que nous avons signes, avec les six guides de Mr Barry." 
Chamonix, le 18. 7 bre, 1834. 

(Signed) Couttet Joseph, Le Sindic de Chamonix, 

Michel Balmat. (Signed) Couttet, 

Jean Tairraz. Sindic. 

Simon Tournier. 

Francois Despland. 

Pierre Tairraz, 

*. Count de Tilly, a Frenchman, arrived at Chamonix three weeks 
afterwards. Hearing that we had found the ascent to be practicable, 
and that no countryman of his had ever been up the mountain, he de- 
termined to make the attempt, and succeeded. As he remained but a 



38 



On the day after my return from the moun- 
tain, I visited on foot Montanvert and the Jardin, 
returning to the Priory in the evening, a dis- 
tance estimated at fourteen leagues (a tolerable 
proof of my not having suffered excessively from 
fatigue). The observations with the barometer 
and thermometer at these places, at Geneva, and 
the Hospice of the Great St. Bernard,^ as well 
as those already mentioned, are given in the 
following table : — 

Eng. Inches. 

Mont Blanc. Summit, Sept. 17, p.m. 2i. Barom. 17,052. auached}^^''-^^ ^ 
^ 1 r .... 16, p.M.6|. 21,235. 450.50 • 

•••• P.Bi.ei. .... 21,225. .... 440.37. 

lUulet . . . -^g^ .... 21,198. .... 390.87. 

Priory. Chamonix, 18, p.m. 5. \ ., oroip n^oof 

(After descent from M.Blanc)/ ^o.^io- •••• 71.37. 
Jardin, .... 19, p.m. 3. • • • . 22,034. .... 58o.44 . 

Montanvert, 19, p.m. 8 24,334. 6I0.25 - 

Priory. Chamonix, 19, p.m. 11. ? ofi 07q .. . rac m 

(After returning from Jardin) ^ ' ^6,973. .... 64o.62 • 



{• • . . 17. A.M. 9. .... 22,717. .... 590.45 . 

17, NOON. 22,717. .... 610.25 . 

.... 17, P.M. 3. 22.700. 610.47 . 

r.... 17, A.M. 9. 28,962. 72''.50 • 

Geneva. < 17, noon. ...> 28,962. 78o.ll . 

(..... 17, P.M. 3. .... 28,930. .... 780.11 . 



few minutes on the sumnnit, it is probable the cold was very intense 
and in descending his feet were frozen. 

* The observations made at the Hospice of the Great St. Bernard, 
and at Geneva, on the 17th, have been politely furnished me by letter, 
by Professor Maurice, principal editor of the " Bibliotheque Uni- 
verselle," Geneva. For the sake of uniformity, I have reduced the 
barometrical measurements from French pouces, lignes, and decimals, 
to English inches and decimals; and the thermometrical,from degrees 
of Reaumur, to those of Fahrenheit. Perhaps, however, Geneva is too 
distant a station, as long ago foreseen by Sir George Schuckburgh. 
It is a remarkable fact, that the average differences between the 



39 



The barometer employed for these observa- 
tions was an excellent one by Gourdon, Geneva ; 
and it appeared to be in good order, I had 
procured it on the spot, just before the ascent. 
Its graduation was according to the French scale, 
but the observations are here, for the reader's 
convenience, reduced to English inches. The 
instrument was suspended at a height to suit 
the eye, and shaded from the sun as already 
mentioned. It is to be regretted that the sud- 
denness of my journey up the mountain, tempted 

mercurial column at the Hospice of the Great St. Bernard, and that at 
Geneva, are far from uniform from time to time, although these 
averages are deduced from observations of twelve months, — a period 
sufficiently long, one may suppose, to compensate the effect of any 
possible error. I am informed by a relative of mine, that the com- 
parative heights of the mercury at these two stations, for ten years, as 
given in the Bibliotheque Universelle for 1833, tome 1. pp. 27 and 
32, both having been by him reduced to the decimal fractions of a 
^' ligne," appear to be as follow; their differences, it w^ll be seen, 
inserted in the last column, are not a uniform quantity. 





Geneva 


Great St. Bernard. 


Annual Difference. 


Year, 


Pouce. 


Ligne. 


Pouce, 


Ligne. 


Po 


uce. 


Ligne, 


1823 


26 


10.73 


20 


9.32 




6 


1.41 


1824 


26 


10.98 


20 


9.54 




6 


1,44 


1825 


26 


11.55 


20 


9.49 




6 


2.06 


1826 


26 


9.93 


20 


9.79 




6 


0.14 


1827 


26 


10.65 


20 


9.20 




6 


1.45 


1828 


26 


11.10 


20 


9.74 




6 


1,36 


1829 


26 


10.30 


20 


9.63 




6 


0.67 


1830 


26 


10.91 


20 


10.59 




6 


0.32 


1831 


26 


10-65 


20 


10.30 




6 


0.35 


1832 


26 


11.48 


20 


11.07 




6 


0.41 



40 



as I was at its base, by the fineness of the sea- 
son, precluded me from obtaining additional 
instruments, with which the data might have 
been completed, for repeating the calculations 
of preceding travellers, as to the height of Mont 
Blanc. 

P. S. The Syndic of Chamonix has obligingly fur- 
nished me with a list of all those who have accom- 
plished the ascent. I extract the following from his 
letter: — 

" Etat de toutes les ascensions qui ont eu lieu a la cime du Mont Blanc. 
Date des ascensions. 

17Rfi Ao't 8 [ Jacques Balmat (Guide of Chamonix) • • • • de Chamonix. 



i/oo, Aout «. Docteur Paccard 

1787, „ 3. H. B. De Saussure de Geneve, 

9. Le Colonel Beaufoy • Anglais. 

1788, „ 5. —AVoodley 

lono lA r Baron Doorthesen de Courlande. 

laui, „ Forueret de Lausanne. 

1812, Sept. 10. — Rhodas (Rodatz?) de Hambourg. 

1818, Aout 4. Le Comte de IMatezesecki Polonnais. 

imn T • in f Le Docteur Rensselaer • Americain. 

1819, Juin 19. |_ Howard 

Aout 13. Le Capitaine Lndrell Anglais. 

1822, „ 18. Fred. Clissold 

1823, Sept. 4. —Jackson „ 

TOO- A Of: /Le Docteur Edmund Clarke 

1820, Aout zo. -j^Lg Capitaine Markham Sherwill 

lO'.-T T -11 ojc rChas. Fellowes • ,, 

1827, JuilL2D.|^y_ jjawes 

Aout 9. J. Auldjo • • • Ecossais. 

1830, 3. Le Capitaine Wilbraham Anglais. 

1834, Sept. 17. Le Docteur Martin Barry • „ 

„ Oct. 9. Le Comte de Tilly Franfais." 



H.Teai>« and Son, Printers, Tower-Hill, London. 



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